Calculating that a bowling attack as varied as ours was quite capable of defending a total, skipper Webley decided to bat first on winning the toss, displaying a well founded confidence in his team, as Oliver Haill’s spiteful left arm later shattered CYPOS dreams.

Promoted to the top of the order, James Smith constructed patiently on a pitch offering movement for the bowlers, cutting loose only after he was joined at the crease by Haroon Ashfaq, after the losses of Mohamed and Webley. The sartorially-minded pair, sporting grey and bright red caps respectively, established a solid platform for the satisfying events which played out later in the afternoon. Swivelling his bat with the swagger of Alec Stewart in his pomp, Haroon fashioned lofted drives, spread the field, prised open gaps with delicate, delicious late cuts and ran between the wickets with gusto. Smith mixed careful defensive play with an array of attacking strokes around the wicket, looking every bit the all round talent that his 1000 runs and 100 wickets for the club suggest. Tiring, he was bowled for his joint highest Pacific score of 70 to a beauty which nipped in off the seam, but his job was done. Swatting his first ball for four, Haill biffed a quick fire 13, but after he and Haroon were out sacrificing their wickets for quick runs, Pacific’s innings foundered like a new voting system referred to the British public. Our 10th and last batsman Gleadow was out with the scorecard registering 218.

Fuelled by the consumption of rocket shaped lollies at tea in a room adjacent to Broxbourne‘s famed Len Froggatt squash court, Faisal and Gleadow came out firing, looking to lick the opposition with the same relish they had devoured their popsicles. Faisal was limber, the Liverpool fan letting ‘looce’ at the crease and generating deceptive pace, doing for Howell with a well pitched delivery. Running up the hill with his Sky Sports top fluttering in the breeze, opening partner Gleadow applied typical pressure, his metronomic, repeatable action inspiring confidence among team mates and uncertainty in batsmen. Stopping the ball in the surface, he coaxed Cromach into lofting a catch to Mullens at point. Two down and the ‘swingometer’ lurched Pacificward. While CYPOS batsmen Hubbard and Kaz were together the run rate increased, but then Haill entered the fray and turned the game on its head.

Manacling the middle order and any CYPOS aspirations of victory with spin mastery, Haill settled into his work with the same rapidity as his earlier batting. For Deadly Derek read Ominous Oli, our version of the Sussex and England luminary Underwood making the ball snarl and spit from a length on this Broxbourne sticky dog just as his fellow left armer did against the Australians at Adelaide in the ’74 Ashes. First he prised out the dangerous looking Hubbard, the bespectacled batter playing on as he attempted to cut a viciously turning ball. We were then mightily close to a Haill hat trick, the second weekend in succession a Pacific spinner came tantalisingly close to that cherished cricketing achievement. Tying the ball to a particularly taut string, Haill harnessed spiteful lift from a flat trajectory, a timid defender looping the ball into the safe hands of Mr ‘Gloverman’ Jon Brown, who, having taking on custodian duties at short notice, gave notice of his magnanimous spirit and expansive cricketing abilities. To the next ball, Swiss played around a full delivery for LBW and a second successive victim. Hat trick ball was handsomely driven for four by plucky Saya, a shot gracefully applauded by bowler, but our Oliver soon struck back with a classic spinner’s wicket, the willow nibbler deviating a delivery into the capacious hands of Gleadow at first slip. Final figures of 4 for 14 off 8 testify to a bowler both in the so-called zone and at ease with his surroundings. Indeed, his bowling style married so well with the pitch that one might imagine Oliver quietly wishing for the formation of an offshoot team, not with the acronym CYPOS (Can you play on Sunday?) here but COPABESP? (Can Oliver play at Broxbourne every Sunday please?)

In and among the Haill-dominated bowling narrative, Webley’s Boparic golden arm came to the party, the skipper accounting for Kaz, his worst ball of a two over spell driven hard into the hands of Aroon at extra cover, Korgaonkar making a typically valiant fielding contribution. Changing ends, Aroon also picked up a deserved wicket, and although CYPOS managed to crawl to innings end without losing all their wickets, with chirpy wicketkeeper Willis refusing to buckle, our collective bowling performance (with Haill as the stand out performer) had terminally suppressed their ambitions. CYPOS closed on 142/8.

This was a fixture played very much in good spirits, both teams sharing warm words and handshakes at the game’s end, and received a resounding YES vote for enjoyment from a group of contented ale supping pacifists.

Notes: Smith equalled his highest score for club and passed 1,000 runs for the club. He also took 17 balls to get off mark.